When doing a sales presentation to a group of people, it really helps to understand what each person’s role in the meeting is.
Who is the decision maker? Why did she bring this or that person? Often, it’s not what it seems at first sight. And sometimes, we might underestimate the importance of these roles.
For example, there might be a finance manager whose job is to take care that you don‘t overcharge. There might be a product manager whose job is to take care that you don’t bullshit. There might be a marketing manager whose job is to take care that what you propose fits the overall brand story.
But it might just as well be the other way around. That the product manager is really dying to use your innovative solution and hoping for you to convince her boss. Or it might be that the boss is eager to pull your proposal off but the sales director needs to be convinced because if she isn’t all-in her team won’t be motivated to make it a success.
When knowing exactly why everyone’s there you can much better resonate with what’s important to them.